Welcome to the Brooklyn Postpartum Depression Support Group site. We are very glad you found us. If you or a mom you care about is suffering from a postpartum mood disorder we are here to offer information, resources, phone support and group support.

Friday, May 26, 2006

What is PPD?

Postpartum Depression (PPD) has become an umbrella term for a spectrum of postpartum mood disorders affecting mothers within the first year of the birth of a baby (or later if a breastfeeding mom weans after one year). The spectrum of what is often referred to as PPD includes Baby Blues, Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Anxiety, Postpartum Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Postpartum Psychosis. A woman’s symptoms could fall neatly into one of these categories or she could exhibit signs associated with more than one disorder.

Many women who do not develop postpartum mood disorders feel weepy, sad, overwhelmed, isolated, resentful, guilty, and anxious within the first few days of giving birth. These feelings can be surprising and scary to a new mom, who is often led to believe she will be nothing but happy, if a bit sleepy, in the postpartum period. Many of these negative feelings are hormonally driven, but can also stem from lack of practical support, evidenced by the emotional adjustment adoptive parents can experience. These Baby Blues usually resolve themselves within a couple of weeks as a mom adjusts to new demands on her time, builds confidence in her mothering skills, begins bonding with her baby and reaches out for practical help. Up to 80% of mothers experience some form of Baby Blues.

10% - 20% of mothers will develop a more serious postpartum mood disorder.

Postpartum Depression symptoms include:

Frequent crying

Feeling sad most of the time

Inability to concentrate

Inability to enjoy pre-baby hobbies and activities

Lack of energy

Insomnia

Feeling like a failure

Lack of appetite – everything tastes like sand or an aversion to texture of food

Sugar and carbohydrate cravings, compulsive eating

Inability to laugh

Hopelessness about the future – thinking that she will always feel this bad

Feeling that partner and new baby would be better off without her

Aversion to caring for the baby

Lack of sex drive

Postpartum Anxiety Disorder symptoms include:

Racing obsessive negative thoughts

Inability to sit still

Fear of leaving the house

Inability to concentrate

Fear of being alone with the baby

Shaking, trembling hands

Bursts of anger

Impulse to run away from home or to hide

Inability to comprehend what she reads

Gastrointestinal pain, diarrhea, nausea

Panic attacks

Pounding, racing heart

Thinking she is dying or having a heart attack

Feeling like she is choking

Postpartum Obsessive Compulsive Disorder symptoms include:

Recurring thoughts and images of doing harm to herself or her baby

Recurring thoughts and images of outside harm inflicted on her baby

Preoccupation with cleanliness and germs

Doubts about her ability to care for the baby

Excessively elaborate routines to complete common, simple activities

Postpartum Psychosis affects 1% of postpartum women and is considered a postpartum emergency requiring immediate medical attention from her doctor or a visit to the hospital emergency room. Onset of symptoms typically occurs within the first six weeks postpartum and includes:

Delusional thoughts and hallucinations

Thinking the baby is evil or Satan

Feeling that some external force is compelling her to harm herself or her baby

Rapid mood swings (irritability to euphoria to depression)

Having a concrete plan for harming herself or the baby and a timetable for acting on it

Personal or family history of psychosis, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia

Previous postpartum psychotic or bipolar episode*

Remember, “Risk factors do not cause depression.

They merely set the stage or create an opportunity for it.”**

A woman who is experiencing symptoms for any of the postpartum mood disorders described should get a complete medical exam to rule out other possible sources that have similar symptoms (such as a thyroid condition). A mental health professional is also essential in diagnosing and treating postpartum mood disorders. Please see our link to mental health professionals in Brooklyn.

No comments:

We are two moms of young boys who each struggled with postpartum depression and anxiety. Between us we experienced insomnia, loss of appetite, over-concern about the baby, suicidal thoughts, escape fantasies, debilitating guilt, worthlessness, agitation, inability to concentrate, hospitalization, hopelessness, excessive crying, anger, confusion and other symptoms associated with postpartum mood disorders, and have made full recoveries.

Molly has a master of social work degree from Southern Connecticut State University, where she conducted research on peer support and also co-led psychoeducational groups.

Chris has been a phone volunteer through Depression After Delivery and The Postpartum Resource Center of NY since 2002 and is a postpartum doula with the Brooklyn-based Birth Day Presence.

What We Do

We established a peer support group in Brooklyn in 2006 as a place where pregnant and postpartum women can get support if they think they are at risk for PPD, are experiencing symptoms and need further help and resources, or are in the care of a therapist and want to attend the group as part of their treatment plan. The group is free, meets monthly, and babies are welcome to join us. Women are encouraged to attend for as many meetings as they feel the group is helpful, whether once for information or monthly for ongoing support. Please note that the function of this group is to provide a forum for the exchange of peer support. It does not replace care provided by a licensed mental health practitioner. Please understand that this is a closed group; only women experiencing symptoms of a perinatal mood disorder will be allowed to participate. Graduate students, researchers and well-meaning friends and partners may not sit in on meetings.

Emotional support from empathetic listeners is one key part of expediting a woman's recovery from PPD. A support group might be the only place a mom feels safe to share her feelings without being judged or gossiped about, as it is private and confidential. Women in the group share and validate each others experiences, and women further along in the recovery process set an example of wellness and hope to those moms in despair.

For more information about the symptoms of and recovery from postpartum depression please see our section titled "Helpful Websites". We are growing this site and will be adding more educational information, strategies for recovery, and resources for partners, family and friends in the near future.